The Sisters' Hunt
by FringeDivision2008
Summary: Rachel Cranston and Ziva David are connected by their siblings' fate. However was fate wrong? The sisters find out and begin a search that brings them to the single answer they both seek...why did Ari shoot Kate? One Shot Future Fic


The Sisters' Hunt

Spoilers: All Seasons

Disclaimer: I only own these words, not the characters or the show.

* * *

><p>Rachel Cranston looked at her team, well not her team personally but the team that had become family. It had been quite an honor being asked to be NCIS' Field Psychologist and Vance had put her with her team. It was still hard for Ziva to look her in the eye for longer than a few seconds, the ex-Mossad officer seemed almost afraid of her judgment...for not stopping her brother in time. Tony and McGee made her laugh and she suspected her middle-child role of breaking up arguments had been a succession from Kate to her. Gibbs looked at her as if she was just another of his agents...no special treatment like she liked it. Abby was quickly becoming a younger sister and Ducky, she enjoyed comparing notes with him.<p>

"I do not mean to avoid you," Rachel turned to see Ziva, "I just...you must understand what is like, to feel blame for what occurred?"

Rachel smiled, "I don't blame you and after hearing from everyone...I don't blame your brother. Ziva, some of us are born to be killers, others are placed there under pressure...your brother was like that. You don't know this but I know about Ari, more than most of you know. Kate called me after each encounter, told me things she noticed and she knew when under pressure from your father Ari was impulsive but away...he was not the man we knew."

Ziva chuckled, "my father always saw us as weapons and he pushed Ari to a point of no return, I had never known him to harm a woman...I do not know why he did so to Kate."

"Killing her was the only time he harmed her, did he tell you what he did to one of his own men when they slapped Kate?"

"No, Ari did not speak of his missions...I did not know of his kidnapping of Kate till I was briefed before I came, after he had...had taken the shot."

Rachel nodded, "come with me, to my locker."

* * *

><p>They walked down to the locker room and Rachel opened the door to her locker...to what had been Kate's locker. She withdrew a small metal box and sat down, opening it. "What is it?"<p>

"Secrets...why I accept what happened but find no explanation as do you." She flipped through several envelopes before coming to one, smiling as she did. "May 22, 2004...the day after he kidnapped my sister the second time. Go on, read it."

Ziva opened the envelope and withdrew the letter, reading the lines.

_Rachel,_

_I can't understand this man...he's more complex than anyone I have ever seen. He's so violent yet so gentle, I feel as if no one will ever understand him...but I know I am seeing him, the real person he is, like no one else. I told you about man in the morgue months ago, I know his name now...he kidnapped me but treated me like a guest more than a victim. Offered me wine and nuts, put ice on my lip after one of his men slapped me. I found it odd that I'm the hostage but he's shouting at the man who slapped me, he doesn't know I understand Arabic. He tells the man if he dares to touch me again, if anyone is to touch me again without his permission they would find a bullet in their heads...I am under his protection._

_Ari...the lion as his name means is far more complicated then I once knew. I once thought him an enemy but he is an ally among enemies. I sense he does not want this life, as he's quiet in the rare moments away from his work. He let me call Gibbs once all his people were gone, telling me as we waited for NCIS of his childhood, of his beloved little sisters. I hear him talk of Zivyah and Talia like they are the ropes holding him in place. I regret to say his youngest, young Talia, is dead and all that is left is Zivyah as he calls her. Perhaps some day I'll meet her, as strange as it sounds I'd like to meet the girl who took his place as top shot at Mossad. Ari's not the enemy and dare I say, perhaps a link to the end of this war. I fear turning him into a double agent but I see his eyes as he looks at me...he's in love with me Rachel so I doubt he would harm me and I know he'd do anything to protect me. Even if that means turning his back to Mossad and perhaps his own life. What did I do to change him?_

_Your Sister,_

_Kate_

Ziva looked at the letter and shook her head, "why would kill her...if he was in love with her."

"Your father maybe, she only spoke of him once...after that whole plague issue. It was a week before she died and it was a simple email she forwarded to me. I wished she had listened to him." Rachel dug through the papers and removed one. "This was the last thing I ever got from her, if she had just listened she would have lived."

* * *

><p>Ziva took the paper and read it, staring at it like it held all the answers.<p>

C_aitlin, you are now a shadow now. Run, you must run Caitlin as your death is coming and I can't prevent it. I am sorry...so sorry my beautiful Caitlin. L3919832798714309N-Ln7743586912751198W. ALVL- Ari_

She looked down at Kate's response back in the email.

_Don't contact me again Ari...or I go to Gibbs. A shadow is just a shadow, it won't harm me. MESaN -Caitlin_

The response to Rachel followed and it made Ziva shake her head.

_Perhaps I was wrong. I love you big sister...always. -Caitlin AH_

"Your other letters, how did she sign them?"

"Kate...why?"

* * *

><p>Ziva turned the paper and pointed, "Caitlin...she signed this one Caitlin. A-L-V-L, it's shorthand in English for the Hebrew saying 'Ani Ledodi Vedodi Li' and it means 'I am my to my beloved and my beloved is mine' but Ari says it. He's saying he loved her in the warning."<p>

"Okay, what is M-E-S-a-N?"

"Matzati Et She'ahava Nafshi...it means 'I found him, who my soul loves' and it phrase is never taken lightly. Even in marriages, it is never said unless the couple has been together for longer than two decades and is happy. It's a bad omen to the relationship...if Ari accepted this then he accepted Kate as the only woman he would love."

Rachel shook her head, "then why would he kill her?"

"He wouldn't...not even forced, he'd sacrifice himself before he sacrificed her. I think the answer is in this email and I think she wanted you to have it so no one else would know...most of all Mossad." Ziva looked at the email again and smiled, "come on."

"Where?"

"Bullpen, it's time for a campfire."

* * *

><p>They entered the bullpen to see Tony harassing McGee and Gibbs actually watching the show. "I swear, one more time Tony and I'll..."<p>

"Kate's alive!"

That made everyone turn and looked at the two women, Ziva immediately went to McGee's desk and began typing at the computer. "Hold on," Gibbs stood up, "what?"

Rachel smiled, "you Gibbs were so blind...I actually find it quite funny."

"Gibbs blind, never!" Tony looked at her, "what about?"

"Ari." Ziva spoke and stared at the screen as her hands flew across the keyboard. "In fact even I was wrong."

McGee shook his head, "what am I missing? Ari shot Kate...you two should hate each other not be doing this together."

Rachel shrugged, "a friend in an enemy is an equal ally...my own personal quote."

"What's up, Ziva said to come." Abby showed up.

"Rachel and Ziva are going on about Kate being alive."

* * *

><p>Abby shook her head, "Kate Todd died because of Ari, why won't you both accept that she's not coming back."<p>

"Legally she was Caitlin Al Haswari," Ziva spoke and continued typing, "Al Haswaris always sign their last name AH to avoid legalities in Israel."

"What?" Gibbs looked at her, "where are you getting this from?"

"The email from Ari to Kate and back...she forwarded it to Rachel to keep safe from Mossad." Ziva stood up and smiled, "oh big brother, you have a lot of explaining to do...to many people."

McGee looked at her, "what did you find."

Ziva moved with the remote, "meet Caitlin and Eli Al Haswari..." she clicked it and found driver's license with pictures of Kate and Ari on them. "There were coordinates in the email and it came to a house in Virginia, a far house where Kate was kidnapped to all those years ago."

"How did you decode this?" Gibbs looked at it, "the email is nonsense."

"Mossad writing, a shadow is a copy...you've have never known it wasn't Kate...they were switched before she appeared on the roof. She'd been taught how to act, speak...even laugh like Kate. That's why we call them shadows. Ari was telling her to run, to pack up and say her goodbyes because she would officially be dead soon."

Gibbs pointed, "she said never to contact her again or she'd go to me."

"It's code, she's saying never to contact Caitlin Todd again and if something happened, to go to you. You forget, Caitlin Al Haswari...she was no longer Caitlin Todd so he'd have no reason to contact her as such."

"Gear up, we go to that address."

* * *

><p>"There's no need," they all turned to see Kate Todd standing at the head of the bullpen and everyone on the floor stared. "Hello Gibbs."<p>

"Kate..."

"Caitlin," she smiled, "I go by Caitlin now." Walking over, Kate smiled. "It's almost six years...I figured by now if you hadn't found my trail you wouldn't have. No one began searching till now...what took you so long?"

Rachel rushed over and looked at Kate, "oh Katie!" She hugged her sister and pulled back, "you owe me...big time."

"Mama!" A young boy ran in and hit Kate's leg, "Mia won't stop...she's being a big jerk!"

Kate chuckled and swung the boy in her arms, "Jethro Todd, don't call your sister a jerk."

"It's true, she's a jerk...it's because Papa treats her like a princess...well she's not!" He folded his arms and moved his head, his jet black hair moving with him and his olive skin shining in the light.

"Ah, well Little Prince, we shall tell Papa never to give you what you want ever again." The boy's face fell and Kate pointed, "say hello to your Aunt Rachel." Rachel smiled brightly. "This is my son, Jethro Todd Al Haswari."

* * *

><p>AN: I know I haven't written on this in a while, but I thought of this and wanted to write a one shot.


End file.
